Sunday 17th August - All 25 seen - Steer 219 has a small white spot in the corner of his left eye

At 10:00 this morning, steers 20, 33, and 217, were grazing contentedly in the pasture near ///suffer.refilled.carbon, northeast of Horse Pond. They were enjoying the heather and browsing leaves from the surrounding bushes. All three looked happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 10:25, the same group of twelve from yesterday—eleven members of the Caesar's original herd along with Sussex steer 1626—were resting at the Lookout. Most were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud in the semi-shaded area south of the benches, while steers 230 and 1626 stood among the trees to escape the warm sunshine. They were very friendly, with many getting up at different times to come over for strokes and long neck and back rubs. The group attracted a lot of interest from passers-by, who asked many questions about them, which I was happy to answer.

Shortly before 10:50, youngster 227 walked into the middle of the area behind the benches and mooed a couple of times. Moments later, cows 214 and 234, along with steer 35, appeared after climbing up from the area below, where I had seen them grazing earlier. Several of the herd went over to greet them. After a while, most settled under the trees to chew their cud, while a few returned to their original resting spots. By 11:30, the whole group had moved off westward, happily grazing in the sunshine. All fifteen looked healthy and content.

By 11:40, I found Sussex cow 1396 resting in James Bond Pond near ///reverses.trendy.finer. She looked completely at ease, chewing her cud while cooling her feet in the water. Nearby, cow 211 stood on the bank, enjoying plenty of fuss and long neck and back rubs, rewarding me with affectionate cuddles and licks. Sussex steers 210 and 1640, together with cow 212, were further west, browsing leaves from the bushes along the bank. All were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 12:10, steers 197 and 219 had emerged from the pasture north of the pond, where I had seen them when I first arrived. They both took refreshing drinks before coming over one at a time to say hello and enjoy some strokes. Youngster 219 has developed a small white spot in the corner of his left eye, very similar to the ulcer he had in the same eye exactly a year ago today. It didn't appear to be troubling him, though flies were drawn to the area by his tears. He was happy to stand close while I brushed the flies from his face for a good while. By 12:45, he and steer 197 attempted to move further east but were zapped by their collars, so returned to the pasture north of the pond. I said my goodbyes soon after, leaving them peacefully grazing.

Aside from steer 219’s eye, the cows were all good today.